ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Science & Technology
CSIR-CMERI Solar DC Cooking System- A Step Towards a Green & Pollution Free India
Prof. Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, handed over the CSIR-CMERI developed Solar DC Cooking System to the Asansol Braille Academy, West Bengal today in the distinguished presence of Swami Somatmanandaji Maharaj, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol and Shri Tapas Banerjee, Chairman, Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, Govt. of West Bengal. The CSIR-CMERI developed Solar DC Cooking Technology was transferred to two business entities namely M/s Asansol Solar & LED House,WB and M/s Meeco Solar & Infrastructure Associates, Durgapur, WB.
The CSIR-CMERI developed Solar DC Cooking System is a Solar Energy based Cooking System which consists of solar PV panel, charge controller, battery bank and cooking oven. The technology provides a Clean Cooking Environment, Invertor-Less Direct Operation, Fast and Uniform Heating and a potential to save 1 ton Carbon Dioxide emissions year/household.
Prof. Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, while addressing the Press Conference shared his privilege at being able to hand over the indigenously developed Solar DC Cooking System to the Asansol Braille Academy, which has been doing a tremendous job in serving the Specially-Abled Children. It was a Dream of a ‘Pollution-Free India’ and the CSIR-CMERI developed Solar DC Cooking System is a small step towards realization of that dream.
The CSIR-CMERI developed Solar DC Cooking System has 20-25% better efficiency and more Economical in comparison with Conventional Solar based Cooking Systems which loses efficiency owing to AC-DC conversion. The simple Technology Design also ensures Ease-of-Manufacturing and thus provides a substantial Economic Opportunity for the Micro-Industries. Along with the widening of the popularity base of the Technology, there is a probability of improvement in Job Prospects.
This System will help in substantial curbing of Carbon Dioxide emissions; as even LPG usage emits Carbon Dioxide. The Technology once it reaches the market will cost in the range of Rs 65,000- Rs 70,000. Similar to other Solar Energy based products, if Government subsidies are provided there will be a significant reduction in the price of the product. Widespread usage of the CSIR-CMERI developed Solar DC Cooking System can also play a critical role in achieving the target of 200 GW of Solar energy as envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and also to save almost 290 million tons of Carbon Dioxide emissions.
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SNC/RR
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Special Service and Features
1.45 kg gold worth Rs.78.4 lakhs seized by Chennai Air Customs at Unaccompanied Baggage Terminal. One Arrested.
Based on specific intelligence, Chennai Air Customs seized 1.45 kg gold worth Rs.78.4 lakhs from a passenger’s personal goods which had arrived at Unaccompanied Baggage Terminal from Dubai.
A passenger who had arrived from Dubai earlier came for clearance of his personal household goods which had arrived by IndiGo Airlines Flight 6E 9480 as unaccompanied baggage. On opening the carton boxes bedspreads and toy boxes were found among other items inside. The bedspread was wrapped around a cardboard sheet, which appeared to be unusually heavy. On tearing the cardboard sheet gold foil wrapped in carbon paper was found concealed in between the two layers of cardboard sheet. Similarly cardboard sheets were found in all toy boxes as well. On tearing open the sheets, gold foils wrapped in carbon paper were found concealed inside two cardboard sheets. Total 3 bed spreads and 7 toy boxes were recovered from four carton boxes. In total 10 gold foils weighing 1.45 kg valued at Rs.78.4 lakhs were recovered and seized under Customs Act, 1962.
The passenger belonging to Kallakurichi  was working as a electrician in Dubai and had lost his job because of Covid 19. He had returned back recently. He was arrested.
Further investigation is in progress.
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
Hydro-Meteorological Hazards Risk Reduction:
Webinar series jointly organised by National Institute of Disaster Management  and India Meteorological Department 
National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with India Meteorological Department organised a webinar series on “Hydro-Meteorological Hazards Risk Reduction”. The webinar series include four webinars focusing on issues apropos of ‘Thunderstorms and Lightning’, ‘Cloudburst and Floods’, ‘Cyclones and Storm Surges’ and ‘Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events’. The webinar series exhorted on enhancing human capacity in terms of better understanding of Hydro-Meteorological Hazards Risk and effective collaborative actions, by implementing Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, for reducing the risk and enhancing the resilience of affected communities and surroundings.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai inaugurated the first webinar on “Thunderstorms and Lightning” of the webinar series. In his address, Shri Rai highlighted the major interventions carried out by the Government of India’s departments/agencies for reducing the adverse risks of Hydro-Meteorological disasters. He also emphasised on focusing the collaborative short and long term mitigation and reduction measures to diminish the adverse impacts of these disasters.
The webinar series was addressed by dignitaries including Shri G.V.V. Sarma, Member Secretary, NDMA; Dr. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science; Dr. V. Thiruppugazh, IAS, Additional Secretary, NDMA; Major General Manoj Kumar Bindal, Executive Director, NIDM; Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD; Shri S N Pradhan, IPS, Director General, NDRF and Prof. Surya Parkash, Head GMRD, NIDM. The renowned speakers also included Shri Sharad Chandra, Director , CWC; Prof. Kapil Gupta, IIT Bombay; Dr. R. K. Jenamani, Scientist-F, IMD; Shri B. P. Yadav, Head Hydromet, IMD; Dr. D. R. Pattanail, Scientist-F, IMD; Dr. Soma Sen Roy, Scientist-F, IMD; Sh. Anup Karanth, World Bank, and Ms. Sunitha Devi, Scientist E, IMD.
All the above webinar talks are available in You tube in the following links:
- Thunderstorm and Lightening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zv1Rms78dU
- Cyclone and Flood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-P1CZB3krk
- Cyclone and Storm Surges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TNRFsyuJGs
- Climate change and extreme weather events
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77H2g3K-msM
The key take away from the webinar series consists of the fact that at present occurrences of Hydro-Meteorological events are quite predictable in terms of time and space through the technological capacity of nodal agencies. IMD and NIDM will further enhance the forecasting abilities that will help to acquaint the occurrence of Hydro-Meteorological events in advance with more precision and will aid the relevant stakeholders and communities to take the appropriate prevention and mitigation measures.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Swadhar Greh
The total number of Swadhar Grehs currently operational in the country is 357. State/UT-wise details are at Annexure-I.
Swadhar Greh Scheme has been evaluated by the NITI Aayog. The major recommendations of this evaluation inter-alia include integration of Swadhar Greh and Ujjawala Homes, revision of the salary norms of the staff and use of information technology tools in the implementation of the Scheme. This scheme is now part of the new Mission Shakti which has life cycle continuum approach to women related issues. The recommendations have been duly incorporated in Mission Shakti.
The Swadhar Greh scheme envisages monitoring of its implementation at District, State and Central level. Swadhar Grehs are monitored continuously by a District Monitoring Committee where at least two members are women and the district committee meets at least once in a quarter. Monitoring Committee at State level meets at least twice a year and monitors the projects. Continuation of grant to any agency depends on the satisfactory performance as assessed by the State/UT level Committee. Ministry of Women and Child Development also reviews the functioning of the Swadhar Greh at regular intervals with the State Governments/UT administrations.
As per the Scheme Guidelines, the implementing agency is required to display the name, telephone numbers and address of the Swadhar Greh in capital letters in local language along with the name and telephone numbers of District level officers concerned and the facilities available in the Swadhar Greh at a prominent place in the Swadhar Greh. Under the new Mission Shakti, it is envisaged to revise the Scheme guidelines to make them more useful for the beneficiaries and spread awareness about these homes through the National Hub for Empowerment of Women.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM to dedicate renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh Smarak to the nation on 28th August
PM to also inaugurate Museum Galleries at the Smarak
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will dedicate the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh Smarak to the nation on 28th August, 2021 at 6:25 PM via video conferencing. He will also inaugurate museum galleries developed at the Smarak. The event will also showcase the multiple development initiatives taken by the government to upgrade the complex.
Initiatives undertaken
Four Museum galleries have been created through adaptive reuse of redundant and underutilised buildings. The galleries showcase the historical value of events that unfolded in Punjab during that period, with the fusion of audio-visual technology, including projection mapping and 3D representation, as well as art and sculptural installations.
A Sound & Light show has been set up to display the events that happened on 13th April, 1919.
Multiple development initiatives have been undertaken at the complex. Elaborate heritage restoration works have been carried out in sync with the local architectural style of Punjab. The Shaheedi well has been repaired and restored with a redefined super structure. The heart of the Bagh, the flame monument, has been repaired and restored, water body rejuvenated as a lily pond, and the pathways made broader for better navigability.
Several new and modern amenities have been added, including redefined paths of movement with appropriate signages; illumination of strategic spots; landscaping and hardscaping with native plantation; and installation of audio nodes throughout the garden. Also, newer areas have been developed for housing the Salvation Ground, Amar Jyot and Flag Mast.
Union Minister of Culture, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministers of State for Culture, Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab; Chief Ministers of Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh; all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from Punjab, members of Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, among others, will be present on the occasion.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Central Government allows contributions from any person or institution in the National Disaster Response Fund 
Central Government has laid out the modalities for receipt of contributions/ grants from any person or institution for the purpose of disaster management in the National Disaster Response Fund  as per Section 46 of the Disaster Management  Act, 2005. Accordingly, contributions/ grants can be made by any person or institution in NDRF through any of the following modes:
- Through physical instruments: to be drawn favoring “PAO , MHA” at New Delhi. On the back of the instrument, the individual may mention the remarks for “Contributions/ Grants to NDRF”.
- Through RTGS/ NEFT/ UPI: Contributions may also be made through RTGS/ NEFT indicating the purpose as “Contributions/ Grants to NDRF” and deposited in the Receipt Account No. 10314382194, IFSC Code- SBIN0000625, State Bank of India, Central Sectt Branch, New Delhi.
- Through Bharatkosh portal https://bharatkosh.gov.in using Net banking, Debit Cards, Credit Cards & UPI as per following steps:
- Click on “Quick Payment” option on the home page https://bharatkosh.gov.in
- On the next page, select the Ministry as “HOME AFFAIRS” and the Purpose as “Contributions/ Grants to NDRF” and the website would further guide for payment.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Steps by Government of India to promote renewable energy in the country
The Government has taken several steps to promote renewable energy, including wind energy, in the country. These include:
- Permitting Foreign Direct Investment  up to 100 percent under the automatic route,
- Waiver of Inter State Transmission System  charges for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by 30th June 2025,
- Declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation  up to the year 2022,
- Setting up of Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks to provide land and transmission to RE developers on a plug and play basis,
- Laying of new transmission lines and creating new sub-station capacity for evacuation of renewable power,
- Setting up of Project Development Cell for attracting and facilitating investments,
- Standard Bidding Guidelines for tariff based competitive bidding process for procurement of Power from Grid Connected Solar PV and Wind Projects.
- Government has issued orders that power shall be dispatched against Letter of Credit  or advance payment to ensure timely payment by distribution licensees to RE generators.
- Conducting skill development programmes to create a pool of skilled manpower for implementation, operation and maintenance of RE projects.
In addition to the above, the following steps have been taken specifically for promoting wind energy:
- Concessional custom duty exemption on certain components required for manufacturing of wind electric generators.
- Generation Based Incentive  is being provided to the wind projects commissioned on or before 31 March 2017.
- Technical support including wind resource assessment and identification of potential sites through the National Institute of Wind Energy, Chennai.
This information was given by Shri Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for MNRE in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Mines
Workshop on Enhancing Mineral Exploration
Through National Mineral Exploration Trust 
Ministry of Mines, in collaboration with Geological Survey of India and Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd has organized a workshop in Bhubaneshwar today on mineral exploration initiatives of the National Mineral Exploration Trust  for the benefit of State Departments Mining & Geology and State Mineral Development Corporations of the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
This was the fourth workshop of NMET on the subject “Enhancing Exploration through NMET” after similar workshops were held in Jaipur for Rajasthan and Gujarat, in Lucknow covering Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and in Bhopal covering Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
The workshop has provided a knowledge-sharing platform which is one of the objectives and it highlighted the role of State Directorates of Mining and Geology and Mining Corporations in enhancing exploration in the country through NMET funding. The States were requested to plan exploration activities in such a way to create considerable impact in the mineral sector. The States were further requested to utilize the services of Notified Exploration Agencies for the untapped mineral resources and the Ministry of Mines will extend all possible cooperation to State Governments.
NMET highlighted that despite India is endowed with rich mineral resourceswe are importing the same in huge quantities. The mineral requirement of the country is expected to increase with increase in the share of manufacturing sector. In order to meet the increased demand and to keep the import bill down, there is an urgent need to increase exploration activities, for which there is no scarcity of funds.
Detailed presentations on NMET covering mineral exploration project formulation, approval and execution mechanism through NMET funding were made in the workshop. GSI made a presentation on potential areas for mineral exploration in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
It was brought out that National Mineral Exploration Trust  has provided a huge opportunity to the State Governments to harness their mineral resources by undertaking exploration activities through Notified Exploration Agencies  and utilizing the NMET fund available for this purpose. State DGM’s and states PSU’s were requested to actively participate in exploration activities and submit exploration proposals for NMET funding. The workshop served as an idea sharing platform to enhance mineral exploration which is fundamental for the growth of the mining sector.
Shri Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Steel and Mines Department, Govt. of Odisha and Shri U. C. Joshi Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines presided over the workshop. Dr. RanjitRath, CMD, Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited, Shri. Amit Saran, Director, Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India and Shri. Jaya Lal, HOD, Eastern Region, GSI, Shri. Janardha Prasad, ADG & Chairman, TCC,NMET along with other officials from the Ministry of Mines, Geological Survey of India, MECL and CMPDIL were present during the workshop.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves signing and ratification of Agreement between India and Brunei Darussalam for the Exchange of Information and Assistance in Collection with respect to Taxes
The Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has has approved the signing and ratification of Agreement between India and Brunei Darussalam for the Exchange of Information and Assistance in Collection with respect to Taxes.
Details:
- The Agreement enables the competent authorities of India and Brunei Darussalam to provide assistance through exchange of information that is foreseeably relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the two countries concerning taxes covered by this Agreement.
- The information received under the Agreement shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities  concerned with assessment, collection, enforcement, prosecution or determination of appeals in relation to taxes covered under the Agreement. Information may be disclosed to any other person or entity or authority or jurisdiction with the prior written consent of the information sending country.
- The Agreement also provides for automatic exchange of information between India and Brunei with respect to categories of cases.
- The Agreement also enables assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both countries.
- The Agreement provides for Mutual Agreement Procedure for resolving any difference or for agreeing on procedures under the Agreement.
- The Agreement shall enter into force on the date of notification of completion of the procedures required by the respective laws of the two countries for entry into force of the Agreement.
The Agreement will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Brunei for tax purposes which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. It will also enable assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both countries.
As such, the Agreement does not have any financial implications. Only in the event of extraordinary costs exceeding USD 500 as per Article 9 of the Agreement, the same will be borne by the Government of India. India has similar provisions in other such tax information exchange agreements.
Background:
The Central Government is authorized under section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to enter into an Agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for exchange of information for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income tax chargeable under the Income Tax Act, 1961. Negotiations for entering into an Agreement for the Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes were conducted at Brunei from 10th to 11th January, 2017. Pursuant to the same, the Governments of India and Brunei Darussalam have agreed on the text of the Agreement.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Spurious Drugs
In order to ensure the quality of drugs in the country, both the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation  and the state drug regulators pick up a large number of samples of drugs from all over the country and have them tested and analysed in the laboratories of the Central and State Governments. In a few cases, the samples tested and analysed do not meet the prescribed standards. The details of the drugs that do not meet the standards are immediately notified by the Central or State regulator concerned.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the quality, safety and efficacy of drugs are not compromised. With this in view, the Government has taken a series of measures including strengthening legal provisions, workshops and training programmes for manufacturers and regulatory officials and measures such as risk based inspections.
The manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in the country are regulated under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945 thereunder through a system of licensing and inspection. Licenses for manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs are granted by the State Licensing Authorities  appointed by respective State Governments. SLAs are legally empowered to take stringent action against violation of provision of the Act and Rules including product recall.
The Minister of State , Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.